“I love Cape Town; what a beautiful place to call home while filming,” says Grace van Dien, who played Chrissy in Stranger Things 4. The actress was in the city to film action-packed local film The Fix, which premieres on Showmax on Halloween.
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Grace, who is currently at #212 on IMDb’s STARmeter, singles out South Africa’s people as one of its biggest selling points. “This was the kindest set I’ve ever been on in my life; I feel very lucky to have been surrounded by such a loving cast and crew.”
She also loved the nightlife. “We went dancing once and my face hurt from how much I smiled that night.”
Set in a dystopian future Cape Town with toxic air, The Fix stars Grace as a model who takes a new designer drug at a party and suffers a shocking transformation. Pursued by forces with competing interests in the drug’s effects, Ella discovers that her mutations could save the human race.
Watch The Fix Trailer
Grace’s comments about Cape Town are echoed by her co-star Daniel Sharman, who played Troy in Fear The Walking Dead and Isaac in Teen Wolf.
“I loved the crew and I loved the biltong,” says Daniel, who also praised Cape Town’s light and locations. “On my days off, I did some travelling. The country was spectacular, especially the places that aren’t touristy and busy.”
In the Showmax Original The Fix, Daniel plays the chairman of pharma giant Aethera, which sells a cure for the toxic air to those who can afford the daily dose. In this future Cape Town, most can’t.
“The character of Eric O’Connors was intriguing,” says Daniel. “He’s a father and a businessman who has his own troubles as well as ferocious ambition, and yet a very strong moral code in some respects. I always like characters that have a lot of contradictions.”
While shooting in Africa was a big part of the attraction for him, so was working with writer-director Kelsey Egan. “I had seen Glasshouse and I was so impressed with what she did with the budget,” he says. “She takes big swings and commits to the worlds she creates. I know The Fix was written before Covid-19, so it just shows her imagination and instincts are really on point. She’s fascinated by how humans react and what constitutes human nature, rather than nurture. Whatever people get out of The Fix will be because she asks those big questions in her writing.”
Grace agrees. “Kelsey’s dedication to her vision is a beautiful thing.”
She was drawn to The Fix partly by its genre. “Years ago, when I first signed with my manager, he was like, ‘What kind of roles do you want to play?’ And I just very blatantly was like, ‘Sci-fi. That’s all I want to do.’ When this came around, with an incredible heroine at the helm, I was like, ‘I have to. I need it.’ It’s all I wanted.’“
She says she’s very different from her character. “In my personal life, I’m very quiet and soft spoken; Ella is quite the opposite. She’s very like, ‘No, it’s my way or the highway, buddy.’ I love how unapologetic Ella is. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and her heart can be very loud and angry. I loved bringing that to life.”
Grace is full of praise for the local stunt team, led by Gideon Van Schoor (Raised by Wolves). “Ella is a badass, but mainly because of the people who choreographed her movements and fighting technique. I’m so grateful to them.”
Grace and Daniel co-star opposite Clancy Brown (John Wick 4, The Penguin) and local stars like SAFTA nominee Keenan Arrison (Binnelanders), Nicole Fortuin (Alles Malan), Fleur du Cap winner Tafara Nyatsanza (Beast, Blood & Water), Young Artist Award winner Caleb Payne (The Kissing Booth, Warrior), Robyn Rossouw (Arendsvlei, Summertide) and Tina Redman (Ludik, Savage Beauty).
Watch the behind the scenes
The Showmax Original was the opening night film at MIPAfrica and the closing night film at Chattanooga, where it won the Dangerous Visions Awards. “When you lay your eyes on South African filmmaker Kelsey Egan’s thrilling sci-fi/action/body horror concoction, The Fix, you’ll immediately understand why we knew this had to be our 2024 Closing Night Selection,” says Chattanooga. “We love this movie, from its killer lead performance by the wonderful Grace van Dien to its wild dystopian world and fantastic mutation effects.”
Would Grace and Daniel come back to shoot in Cape Town again?
“Absolutely,” says Daniel. “There are some great filmmakers in Africa. I’d love to shoot all over the continent if I could.”
Grace agrees. “Of course,” she says. “In a heartbeat.”
After its premiere on Showmax at Halloween, Gravitas Ventures will be releasing the 16 LVD film in the US, Canada and select international territories on 22 November 2024.
Image Courtesy: Supplied
